...oh, and ferries, too!
This weekend I joined Scott on a group Harley ride called "Too Broke for Sturgis." I needed to find a way to seriously limit my time sitting on the bike since that really aggravates my back. So I concocted a plan:
We left the house at 6:30 Friday morning and Scott dropped me off at a coffee shop downtown before heading up I-5 to meet the rest of the group. After an Americano and the paper, I strolled over to the train station where I boarded the Amtrak Cascades to Olympia. Less than two hours in more comfort than you find on an airplane. The train was pretty full, too--a good sign for the industry!
Scott was waiting when I arrived and I strapped on my chaps and leather jacket with body armor to protect against the cool overcast. Since my train was a few minutes late, we didn't make the ferry that the group had a reservation on from Port Townsend and had to catch the next one. But we enjoyed our drive up the east side of the Olympic peninsula, smelling the salt air and admiring the calm bay and the small towns along the Hood Canal. But by the time we got to Port Townsend, I was freezing! The hour wait inside the ferry terminal was a welcome respite and I got my hands thawed out before we boarded the ferry to Whidbey Island.
Motorcycles load first. We strolled the deck checking out the view during the 30-minute ride across Puget Sound. I was disappointed to miss seeing the Olympics due to the low overcast but at least it didn't rain! Once off the ferry, it was just a 45-minute ride northeast to Deception Pass State Park where the group had already set up camp, tents back to back in the flat areas away from the fire pit. It was only 4:00, but everyone was pushing for dinner since they hadn't stopped for lunch. Scott and I had heeded the warning to bring snacks and had quite a feast at the ferry terminal. It was way too soon for us to eat, but we sampled a couple of the local microbrews at Flyers Pub in Oak Harbor.
Sleep was just not to be had, between the people who stayed up late, the ones who got up early, and the ones who snored all night. Scott and I were almost last out of camp at the ripe hour of 7:50. I wisely got coffee at Starbucks before joining the group for breaky at Frank's Place, a veteran-themed greasy spoon that was not at all my style, but suit the rest just fine.
After just a few minutes on the bike, we stopped at Deception Pass, a narrow inlet that separates Whidbey Island from the mainland peninsula that houses Anacortes. A gorgeous spot! Made us want sea kayaks.
Heading northeast was like a walk down memory lane as we retraced some of the steps of Primal Quest '04: we passed Mt. Vernon and Bayview State Park, where we portaged kayaks before paddling back to Orcas Island; we drove up the Skagit River that we paddled 60 miles of in the tandem Neckys; I recognized the bike path near Sedro-Wooley where we did the "ride and tie" before setting off up the mountain for an all-night "bike-whack;" Concrete where we met our support crew after hiking around Baker Lake; Rockport where we launched for the long Skagit River paddle; and Marblemount where I think we had a transition.
Then we entered new territory for me--the North Cascades Scenic Highway. I fly over this region frequently and long to check it out up close. True to form, the PNW "summer" weather kept the clouds low and the views limited. Another disappoinment, although the drive was still beautiful. We stopped for the spectacular overlook of Diablo Lake, and again at Washington Pass. The east side (as usual) was sunny and warm and the scenery amazing!
We had lunch in Winthrop, a faux-western tourist town nestled in the Methow Valley. It reminded me of Montana. The group split up here, some in a rush to get to camp in Wenatchee, and others wanting to linger and soak up the local culture and scenery. Scott and I joined the laggers and walked around Winthrop with an ice cream cone before saddling up again. My back thanked me for the break, but was really glad when the day was over!
The entire Methow Valley is gorgeous, the craggy Cascades giving way to the granite folds of the Okanogan and then to the more arid hills of central Washington. We arrived at Confluence State Park on the Columbia and Wenatchee Rivers shortly before the group left for dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Still full from lunch, we opted for showers (cold) and a trip to the grocery for beer and snacks from the deli. We spent time in camp with a couple from Salem who took camping to mean camping and cooked all their own meals--something Scott and I just haven't figured out on the motorcycle yet. We're still learning how to pack and what can be left behind.
I'm sure we woke the whole campground when we peeled out at 5:15 this morning for the airport. Scott dropped me off to catch a flight home through Seattle so I could avoid another 7 hours in the saddle on a route I've seen before. Getting on the plane was adventurous, but once airborne, it was two quick flights home for a 3-hour nap! before I went to pick up Tucker from our dogsitters. Scott didn't get home til 3 p.m.--I'm glad I flew!
